Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman described Nikola Jokic’s left knee injury as “gut-wrenching” following Monday’s 147-123 loss to the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. “Watching it at halftime it looked like his feet got tangled up with a teammate and obviously immediately he knew something was wrong,” Adelman said.
The coach stressed that Jokic’s health is the primary concern. “Right now I’m more concerned just about him as a person… hoping for the best,” Adelman explained, noting the team will assess the situation further on Tuesday.
Adelman addressed maintaining focus despite the shock. “Part of our job is to continue to do what our job is… my mind will wander about what we have to do going forward if he is out for a while or for a long time,” he said.
Miami’s hot shooting in the third quarter was a turning point. “I give Miami credit… they just could not miss. That was an unbelievable shooting performance after we had a really good defensive second quarter,” Adelman said.
The Nuggets coach highlighted his team’s professionalism under difficult circumstances. “It was really fun to watch DoRon get out there… Hunter played his ass off. That’s all you can ask from your players when something like that happens,” he said.
Adelman also praised Spencer Jones, who scored 16 points despite recent struggles from three-point range. “Spencer has been a bright spot all year… happy for him. Another night he’ll remember early in his NBA career,” he said.
Looking ahead, Adelman emphasized the need for careful planning. “We’ll get together tomorrow… take a breather, get the actual news first, and refocus to make smart decisions for this team,” he said.
Despite Jokic leaving the game early, he still led Denver with 21 points, eight assists, and five rebounds in just 19 minutes. Jamal Murray added 20 points, while Jones and Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 16 each.
Miami improved to 18-15, led by Norman Powell’s 25 points, Nikola Jovic’s 22, and Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 20. The Heat also saw Bam Adebayo return to the lineup, grabbing 10 rebounds after a two-game absence.
Denver will travel to Toronto on Wednesday, while Miami visits Detroit on Thursday. Adelman stressed resilience and adaptation as keys for the Nuggets moving forward. “You reinvent yourself all the time… you have to have belief in each other,” he said.
